


Seven Minutes In Heaven

by IBoatedHere



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday Party, M/M, Party Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6571780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBoatedHere/pseuds/IBoatedHere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys play 7 minutes in heaven.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Minutes In Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Deven!!

“Okay so we have Ben.”

Some people clap and Ben groans. 

“And,” Abe pauses dramatically and takes his time picking the second name out of the hat. He pulls the slip of paper out with a flourish and smirks. 

“Just read the damn name,” Robert snaps. 

“Caleb. Now we got a party.” 

It takes Ben approximately 2 seconds to find Caleb in the crowd. He's leaning back against the wall with his foot propped up on it, plastic cup raised to his lips and the sleeves of his snug black henley rolled up to his elbows revealing just the edge of black ink. 

They haven't spoken in years. 

They were best friends all through elementary school. They used to come as a pair. You'd never see one without the other. Inseparable.

Ben and Caleb, quiet down. 

Ben and Caleb, stop talking last warning. 

Ben and Caleb, you're on opposite sides of the room how are you still laughing at each other. 

Then middle school happened and Ben shot up a few inches and Caleb's shoulders broadened and they didn't have as many classes together and soon they were just passing each other in the hall, nodding to each other as they went until they weren't even doing that. 

Ben tried to keep in contact. He'd ask him if he wanted to see a movie or go get something to eat and Caleb would either flat out deny him or agree only to not show up and leave Ben waiting. It was humiliating and Ben would have to sneak back into his house so his father wouldn't see him starting to cry. 

Now they're months away from graduation and Ben's on the path to Yale while Caleb barely shows up for his classes. He spends most of his time in detention. 

Caleb pushes himself off the wall and sets his cup down on the coffee table. He walks wordlessly to the closet and Abe pats him on the back. 

“Ben, let's go buddy, c’mon.”

“Go on, Ben,” Anna's hands are on his back not so gently shoving him forward. 

“I can't.”

“It'll be fun.”

“I don't even know him.”

“It's Caleb. Everyone knows Caleb. You know Caleb.”

“Not anymore.”

“Well here's your chance,” she gives him one final shove and he stumbles forward. 

“Very good,” Abe grabs him by the shoulders and guides him in. It's a tight fit inside the narrow closet and he had to stand chest to chest with Caleb who is looking at the wall behind Ben's head. “You two have fun. Someone start the timer. You've got 7 minutes to make magic happen. I'm sure Ben won't last half as long.”

Caleb puts a hand on Abe's chest and shoves him out. Abe laughs and the door clicks shut. 

“You know the doors unlocked. You can just leave,” Caleb tells him.

“That's not how the game works,” Abe yells from the outside.

“You're not supposed to be listening, asshole.”

“It'll be a lot worse if one of us leaves,” Ben says. “Let's just wait it out. It's only 7 minutes.”

He takes a half step back, it's all he can take in such a cramped space, and slides down the wall to sit on the floor. Caleb follows him on his own side. Their knees bump together in the middle. 

“We should at least mess up your clothes a little bit. And your hair. You know, make them think something happened.”

“Why does it have to my clothes?”

Caleb moves his hand over to Ben's knee, they're so close it's no effort at all, and rubs his thumb against the seam along the side. 

He's heard the stories about Caleb and girls against lockers and in empty classrooms and the back of his truck. Ben's never seen it firsthand but all rumors grow from something. 

Ben blushes and knocks his hand off of him. Caleb laughs. 

“So,” Caleb begins conversationally. “How have you been?”

“Why are you even here?”

“Rules of the game.”

“No, at the party. Why are you even here?”

“It's Annie's 18th. I wouldn't miss that.”

“Like you're still friends with her.”

“Of course I am.”

“And Abe?”

“Yeah, I'm still friends with all of you.”

“You're a real shitty friend.”

Caleb looks surprised and Ben rolls his eyes. 

“Where's that coming from?”

“You haven't talked to me in four years. You barely even look at me. If your name hadn't of been picked we still wouldn't be speaking. I can't believe you think we’re still friends.”

“Well, we're not exactly how we used to be.”

“We're nothing like it. I don't even know you anymore.”

Caleb fiddles with the hem of his shirt. “I'm basically the same.”

“Bullshit. If you were the same we’d still be talking. What happened? What did I do?”

“You didn't do anything.”

Ben waits for something else but Caleb presses his lips together and Ben starts to get up. 

“Forget it. I'm going out.”

“Wait, hold on,” there's a scramble and Caleb ends up straddled across Ben's lap, his hand hitting the wall by his head with a loud thump as he catches himself from falling over. 

“That's what I like to hear.” Abe shouts.. 

“I'm sorry,” Caleb says and Ben doesn't know if he means for their sudden proximity or for the distance that's been stretching between them for years. 

“I guess, I don't know.” Caleb moves his hand from the wall to Ben's shoulder and Ben doesn't know what to do with his own. “You were doing so well in class and meeting new people and I wasn't…”

“You have more friends than I do.”

“Quality over quantity. I still have Abe, Anna, and Abigail but I have others too.” 

He's talking about Bradford and Simcoe who broke into Principle Scott's car freshman year and painted the interior bright red. Ben doesn't think Caleb was involved with it but it was about the same time he noticed them hanging out more; smoking in the bathroom and leaving school property for lunch. 

“I didn't think you'd want to be my friend when I was hanging out with them. You’ve always been so good.”

“Why do you hang out with them?”

“I don't know. They don't really care about personal shit. Like my uncle. I didn't want to talk about it and they never asked.”

Ben's father has led many services asking for prayers for Lucas Brewster. He's doing better now but it was touch and go. 

“You'd want to talk about it.”

“Only if you wanted to. I wouldn't make you. You haven't talked about it with anyone.”

Caleb slowly shakes his head and Ben finally figured out what to do with his hands when they wrap around Caleb and tug him closer. 

“You can't keep things bottled up.”

He feels Caleb nod. 

“We used to tell each other everything.” 

“And now it's too late.”

“No it's not. Yale is not that far away from...whatever it is you'll be doing.”

“Prison.”

Ben jostles him. “Shut up. You're not going to prison. You know I'll always be your alibi.”

There’s a beat of silence and they realize how close they are. Caleb’s eyes flit down to Ben’s lips then back up again. 

Caleb's hands are still on Ben's shoulders and Ben's have made their way to Caleb's hips. 

Caleb tips his head forward and says “You wanna play the game?”

Ben tightens his grip and shifts Caleb closer. 

“We’re here. They’re all going to think that we have been so…”

“I’ve been wanting to do this.”

“Really? Why?”

“You grew like, five inches over night in eighth grade, why do you think? Didn’t think you’d be into it though.”

Ben laughs and moves a hand to his arm so his thumb rubs across the edge of the tattoo. “I’ve kind of been thinking about it since you got this. Can’t believe your uncle let you do this.”

“He didn’t. I know a guy that knows a guy that didn’t exactly care that I wasn’t eighteen at the time.”

“Caleb.”

“Don’t sound so scandalized,” his voice is warm and full of humor and he whispers “I’m fine” against Ben’s lips right before he kisses him. 

There’s the barest amount of pressure before Abe is yanking the door open. 

“Okay you two, come on out.” 

Caleb leans over and shuts the door. 

“Give us 7 more minutes. We have to make up for lost time.”


End file.
